Sorting machine



Aug. 7, 1934. FORD I 1,969,362

SORTING MACflINE Filed Nov. 1, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. A. FORD SORTING MACHINE Aug. 7, 1934.

Filed Nov. 1, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Elvwemtoz Aug. 7, 1934. FORD 1,969,362

SORTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 flllllll Ill 7 I HII III Q Q4MHIUHMM r F;

i E LL $31K! l E 4 LL L12 W'*"" rm. 6 Q MMH IW' X W N Q I Q Aug. 7, 1934. E. A. FORD 1,969,362

SORTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 6.

INVENTOR BY ATTORNEYWV Aug. 7, 1934. E, A FORD 1,969,362

SORTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR BY ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1934 SORTING MACHINE EugeneA. Ford, Scarsdale," N. Y., assignor. by mesne assignments, to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 1, 1930; Serial No. 492,644

8 Claims. (01. 209-410) This invention relates to machines adapted to sort perforated record cards such as disclosed in my pending application No. 348,395 filed March 20, 1929 for Improvements in sorting machines for record cards.

In these machines, cards are placed in the machine in a single stack and are fed from the stack one by one and distributed into separate pockets according to the data contained in the particular column being analyzed. The speed at which such machines operate is governed by the time required to translate the reading taken from the card into terms of a definite pocket and to operate the sorting mechanism to cause the card to be delivered to such pocket; the speed at which the cards may be fed is otherwise practically unlimited.

One of the objects of the present invention is to devise means for quickly operating the card sorting mechanism after the card has been analyzed. 1

Another object is to devise the sorting mechanism in which several .electromagnets are employed to control the operation of the card sorting mechanism.

Another object is to provide an electromagnetic control latching device in which one electromagnet serves to release a latch which is adapted to then be actuated by spring pressure and in which a separate electromagnet is adapted to also act directly upon the latching device to hasten its operation.

Referring to the drawings wherein I have shown what I now consider 'to be a preferred form of my invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sorting machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a View partly in section of the analyzing and controlling portion of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the electromagnets and mechanism controlled thereby for determining the destination;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing a latch device adapted to be controlled and actuated by spring pressure and ele'ctromag nets;

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of guide blades for guiding the cards into separate pockets of the machine;

Fig. '7 is a detail of the electromagnets used to release and to actuate the sorting control device;

Fig. 8 is a view of the same electromagnets with parts in moved position. i

Referring to the drawings the machine includes fed above all of the blades.

a base or frame 1 mounted upon legs 2 and supporting '13 receiving pockets '3 separately 'num bered 1 to '9 and 0, 11, 12 and R. All of these designations are carried by'the card asshown in Fig. 6 excepting the R. 'Wh'enthe machineis set to sort the cards under control of a particular column a perforation in one of the 12 positions on the card will cause that card to be sorted into the corresponding pocket. A card having no perforation in the column controlling sorting will be- 6 fed to the R or reject pockets A plurality of guide blades 4 are mounted across the tops of the several pockets and serve to form paths to the separate pockets. v

In Fig. 2 theright hand ends of the'blades terminate at'5. The left hand end of the'lowermost blade is attached to and terminatesat a block 6 above the first or 9 pocket. The left hand end of the next blade above the lowermost "is-attached to and terminates at -'a block 7- abo've'the 8 pocket, etc. 'A card being fed from the stack'8 moves between'upper and lower guide plates 9, 10. Normally all ofthe guide plates 4" are held above the planeof the oncoming card' 8a so that unless they are lowered the card'will pass under all of the blades and drop into'the 9 pocket. If the lowermost blade is lowered and all the other blades are held in their upper position the card will pass between the lowermost blade and the next one and will be guided across the 9 pocket and dropped into the 8 pocket, etc.

If all the blades are lowered the card will pass above the uppermost one' and below a strip or plate 11 which together form a path adapted to carry the card into the R pocket. The right hand ends of the blades 4 maybe slightlycurved downwardly so that as' all of the blades rest against the underside of the plate 11 at 11a they will tend to curve downwardly below the plane of the oncoming card so that the card willbe Associated with each blade is a cam disk 12 mounted on a shaft 13. A portion 12a of the disks may be concentric and the portion 121) may be eccentric. Each disk is provided 'with'adrop or shoulder portion 120 so that as the shaft 13 turns counterclockwise its blade will be lowered from the upper or concentric periphery 12a 'to the lower or cam periphery 12b. The shoulders 120 are so adjusted on the shaft 13 that as the latter rotates the blades 4'. will be dropped one after another until they have all been lowered below the plane, of the card. i r

The ends 1211 of all ofthecam.portions;12b may be in alignmentsotthat at adefiniteiime 110 after the last one of the blades has been dropped all of the blades will be simultaneously raised to their normal positions above the plane of the card. This position may be termed the zero point in the cycle of operation of the machine. This, then is also thepoint in the cycle shortly before the 9 position on the card which is about to be sensed reaches the sensing brush 14 and the card which has been sensed has already entered-be-- tween the blades.

Card feed The machine is driven by an electric motor 15 which is connected by abelt not shown here to the main driving shaftl6; This shaft is connected to the card feeding rollers 17 and also to a shaft 18 on which is fixed a cam 19 adapted to move an arm 20 against theaction. of. springs 21. The arm is pivoted at 22 and is connected at its upper end to a plate 23 provided with a card pickergZA The cam 1 ;9 moves the pickertoward the leftand the spring 21 acting against the ar 2Q m oyes the pickerback toward the right. .Eeeh movement; f t e ke the t, ca th .lpwerimest erdihh t c o be moved f ward into cooperation with thefirst set of "feed rellersvl 'l These rollers then feed the card to the nextse't of rollers. As the card is being fed from the first to the second setof. rollers. it passes under} the electric sensing brush 14. The rollers continue to feed the cardacross the machine until itdrops into one of. theseveral sorting pockets.

Sensing brush 'The brush. 14; is: mounted in anarm 2 5 carried on. a -threaded rod 2 6. This rod isprovided with a cranlearm 2 7 whichwhen turned causes the a r-m;2 5,tov be screwed to one, side or the other.

' he: r s i m y ediue t .7 V, ,w he e the e e c u s f pe ieretiehs iensen h e t T rus s thus adjusted tocooperatewiththe column upon which ent n iete hee eet thee rd' ed und rt s nsin hrusht letter Wi cooperate succe sive -th s a h e., iti n ginning with 9 and running; down through the several digit values through the zero position and the. ....en e ti h A haft-. which eerries the cam; disks 12 is also driven by the main shaft; 16 and: operates synchronously with the feeding of the card ln other words, each of thecam disks 12' corresponds with one of the 12 h e; e t eher e a th ha d... e 5 p s t nasses niie e ensin bru h before 0f t guide blades 4 has been dropped. If there is a per-f gration. in the T95. position anielectric circuit is -selosed andthis in turn locks all of; the guide blades 5 in: their vupper position so that ,none; of them w l bed ppecl: en, w en th card 6 reaches the; ends ofthe'blades'at 5 it'will pass under all of the blades-valid be guided. into the filStQOI. fflfipocket If there is no perforation in th .f9-129 .iQn;h. t. e -t e position Qh of I thecguide blades will be -dropped just after the .e i. sition;.. es e in en e h s f d n guideblades it.willzpa;ss;over'thetop of the lowermost blade and unden'theother blades and will be; guide'rhintosthesecond or 8'-pocket.. Similarlmwhen the holefappear'slin: any other of the 12 positions in the column the brush will reach through closing the control circuit and causing the guide blades to be locked in the position that they then occupy and the card will be guided into the pocket corresponding to the position where the perforation appears.

Guide locking mechanism Associated with each of the cam disks 12 is an arm 29 pivoted at 30 and pulled downwardly by a spring 31. This tends to hold the arm 29 in cooperation with its respective cam disk 12. Thus when the drop shoulder 12c moves from under the left handend of the arm 29 the latter will drop'upon' thev eccentric portion 12b of the disk. The end of each of the guide blades 4 rests upon one of the arms 29 so that as the arms drop the ends of the bl'ades drop also. Each arm 29 is provided with a latch projection 32 which when in normal position is above and to the left of a latching: plate 33 which reaches across and is adapted to cooperate with alljof the projections 32.; The latching plate 33 'is'pivoted at 34 on shaft, 35- and continuing downwardly constitutes the armature of an electromagnet 36. The magnet'.36 when energized will tend -to rock latching plate 33 counterclockwise; A latch 38 is, however, provided to cooperate with the plate 33 as in Fig. 7 tohold the lower end thereof to'the left so that the'upper end will' maintain the position shown in Fig; 2 with respect to the latching projections 32 on arms 29; The latch38 rests near its right hand end on. a knife edge 40- formed in the frame 41 and is pulled downwardly at its right hand end by a spring 42 connectedtoa binding post/13.,

Shoulders 44 on latch 38 :resting. against the inner face'of theframe il' prevent the latch from sliding; toward theright. This'latch inturn constituteszthe armature of a second electromagnet 36a. When the armature 33 is moved to the left from: the position of Fig. 8 to that of Fig. '7', the latching armature38 will snap' into position as in Fig; 7. toshold the armature 33in thisposition'; A stop 45 is fixed on'the armature 33 to=limit the upwardxm'ovement of the armature 38. A frame 46pivot'edati 4'7- is ad'aptedto restagainst the armature 33' and is actuatedby a spring 48; The magnets 36. and. 3601. may be connected either in series or in parallelbutpreferably in parallel with the sensing brush 14 so that when the'latterreaches through a perforation in the card and makes contact with" the roller. 28 an electriccircuiti will be closed through both of these mag nets. The energization of magnet aea causes depression of its armature 38 thus releasing the armature 33 so that the latter will be'free-torock into latching position'with respect t'o-the'projections 32 on the 'arms 29. The'upper or latching portion of the armature 33 will then move under all of theproje'ctions 32 of those arms29-t-hathave not yet dropped and over the upper portion' of projections 32 of those of the arms that have dropped. The armature 33 thus latches all or the arms 29 either in their dropped position or in their normal upper position.- The-parts will then be maintained in these'rela'tive positions as the card continues to move toward the ends of the guide blades iandpasses'between those that have dropped'and thosc-th'at' have not. The card will then be guided by the blades to that pocket'which correspondsyto the position of the perforation through which the'brush 14 passed to energize thersortingrmagnets. V The magnet 36 serves to rock thelatching ar mature- 33 i into: latching position with respect to speed of operation of the device.

38 may be made very light and having substan-) tially frictionless bearing is adapted to respond very rapidly to the energization'of magnets 36a.

The armature 33 .on the other handwhichis slightly heavier due in part to the fact that'it must cooperate with all of the arms 29. is actuated by a spring and also by the magnet 36. These forces thus serve to produce an extremely rapid operation of the armature so that the sorting machine operates at a very high speed. At the proper time in the card cycle of the machine the latching armature 33 is restored to its normal position by one or more cams 49 on the shaft 13. These cams cooperate with a bail pivoted on the shaft 34 and adapted to be moved toward the right (Figs. 2 and 4) to engage the latching armature 33 to move the latter back to its normal position as in Fig. 2. This will re-- lease armature 38 and also rock the frame 46 counterclockwise. It will thus permit the armature latch 38 to be actuated by its spring 42 into the position of Fig. 7. It also causes frame 46 to positively raise the armature 38 to overcome possible residual magnetism. Springs 51 connected between the bail 50 and a bracket 52 hold the bail in cooperation with the cam or earns 49.

In operation the spring 48 presses very lightly against the member 33 but not with sufiicient force to make it hard to depress the latching armature 38. When the magnets 36, 36a are simultaneously energized the magnet 36a acts quickly upon its armature depressing the latter to release the armature 33.

It is necessary to effect a very rapid operation of an armature member 33. If a spring alone were relied upon for this purpose such spring would have to be of such strength that it would cause a retarding effect upon the depression of armature latch 38. It would then be necessary for the magnet 36a to build up substantially to its highest efficiency before the armature 38 would be depressed. By

. using a light spring 48, however, the armature 38 will be depressed before the magnet builds up to its highest point. At about the time the armature 38 is completely depressed and the armature 33 has been released magnet 36 will have attained its greatest power and Will act to move its armature 33 much faster than its spring 48 could move it. With this arrangement then, it is possible for the magnet 36a to unlatch the armature member 33 much more rapidly than would be the case with other constructions. Also the magnet 36 acting with greater force than a spring, moves the armature 33 very rapidly. By restoring both armatures 33 and 38 positively I also attain greater For instance, if springs are relied upon to restore the armatures 33, 38 to their normal positions such springs would have to overcome residual magnetism and this would retard the operation. It

- would become necessary to insert non-magnetic material between the core. of the magnet and the armature to hold these parts slightly separate so as to reduce the effect of the residual. Where the parts are restored positively, however, it is possible to omit this intermediate or separating substance, and the armature may thus be set at a normal position much closer to the core of the magnet. The magnet thus exerts a far greater force and acts correspondingly faster upon the armature.

While there has been shown and described. and pointed out the fundamental novel features. of the invention as applied to asingle modifica-' tion it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and detailsof the device illustrated and in its,

operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It .is the intention, therefore to be limited; only as indicated by the scope of the following claims,.

10.1mm: I

1. In a record card sorting machine, a plurality of receiving pockets, means for directing .cards to said pockets, means for controlling said directing means including a pair of electromagnets one of said magnets being provided with an armature for controlling the directing means and the other of said magnets being provided with an armature adapted to latch the first named armature against action by its magnet, and record controlled meansfor simultaneously energizing both of said magnets.

2. In a perforated card controlled sorting machine, a plurality of card receiving pockets, guides for directing cards into said pockets, movable arms for controlling the positions of said guides, a latch for latching said arms in operative or inoperative positions, an electromagnet adapted to operate said latch and a second electromagnet provided with an armature adapted to normally hold said latch in inoperaadapted to move said holding means to inop erative position to release said latching means.

4. In a card sorting machine, a plurality of card receiving pockets, a plurality of guides for guiding cards into said pockets, differential cams for controlling the positions of said guides, a latch for maintaining the guides in said position, an electromagnet for actuatingsaid latch to operative position, a second electromagnet provided with an armature for normally holding said latch in inoperative position and a perforation sensing brush for closing a circuit through said electromagnets to effect the release and operation of the latching means.

5. In a record card controlled machine, means for feeding record cards, means for sensing perforations in a card being fed, means for controlling the operation of the machine including a movable member serving also as an electromagnet armature, an electromagnet adapted when energized to actuate said member, a latch for holding said member against actuation, a second electromagnet, said latch serving also as an armature of said second electromagnet and adapted when actuated thereby to release said member, said electromagnets being energized under control of said sensing means.

6. In a record controlled sorting machine, means for feeding records, sorting mechanism, a control device for controlling said sorting mechanism, resilient means tending to actuate said control'device to operative position, means for locking said control device in inoperative position, electromagnetic means controlled by the records being sorted for moving said locking means to inoperative position and to aid said resilient means in moving said device to operative ment invnormal position, and mean-star simu1-' taneously applying force to said latch and said element to move the latch to releasing position and to move the element with inrea'siiig force to operative position.

a ifBC OI'd dfitrofiii i ria c hine, el contro i element, a latch fofholding sjaid element in 'nor mal position, means'cont-rolied by a. record for" moving the latch to unlatohing position, means for exerting a, graduauyincreasing force upon said element during 7 I tioHeci means for operating the element, said cont'folle'd means being adapted also to exert an opr'ating force onsixid element.

the operation of said con-1 A. FORD. 

